Chick with no clue

[messy]

i have a 96 sunfire (dont know engine type ) manual transmission (nothing electrical like windows or door locks etc) i have a few problems right now and no clue what i can do or look for but want to try to attempt myself ok here it goes ....brand new battery bought in may 05 went dead jan06 its feb 06 and i have called around a few places they say could be my stereo ....stereo place doubts is and says starter or alternater ...how and where do i start 1st? but something is drainin my battery ...im told not to boost it i will mess up my computer ...and from 1st battery incident my running lights now flash so im thinkin i messed something up now im scared to boost car for fear ill mess more up but if i dont how will i get to a garage if i cant get it started im not willing to pay for a tow ....please help this damsel in distress or point me in right directions ...any ideas? thanks in advance

[dogpals]

Jump starting it will not hurt the ECC module, you obviosly have a drain on your battery, the first thing I would do is open the trunk and remove the trunk light bulb, sometimes they stay on when the trunk is closed and this will cause a drain on the battery. I also would remove the bulb in the glove box, this could also be staying on. If this doesent work, you will have to have the electrical system checked out. The dealer can also read your computer to see if it sensed a short circut.

[messy]

as i look at my post i have a automatic not a manual ...sorry ....lights in glove box and truck eh ? ...ok ill try it out

[Insany]

If your problem is still not fixed I would check the alternator. My battery also died on me when I bought my car. And once I took it back, so they could check it they found out that the alternator was bad and it was causing my battery to die. My lights would also turn on and off. Then once I got the new alternator installed, my car was okay and the lights started working just fine.

Hope this helps you,
Insany

P.S jump starting shouldn't hurt your car.

[messy]

thanks for the info i was really worried about boosting it

[muff34]

Originally Posted by messy

i have a 96 sunfire (dont know engine type ) manual transmission (nothing electrical like windows or door locks etc) i have a few problems right now and no clue what i can do or look for but want to try to attempt myself ok here it goes ....brand new battery bought in may 05 went dead jan06 its feb 06 and i have called around a few places they say could be my stereo ....stereo place doubts is and says starter or alternater ...how and where do i start 1st? but something is drainin my battery ...im told not to boost it i will mess up my computer ...and from 1st battery incident my running lights now flash so im thinkin i messed something up now im scared to boost car for fear ill mess more up but if i dont how will i get to a garage if i cant get it started im not willing to pay for a tow ....please help this damsel in distress or point me in right directions ...any ideas? thanks in advance

If you find that your alternator has gone bad ,there are places that re-build them (starters also ) Alot of people will go out and buy new a new alt when they can have their own re-built for maybe half the price. the only draw back is that you may have to wait a day or two while this is being done. I had a $200.00 plus alt re-built for $80.00 4 years ago and it was still working fine when I scrapped the car last fall. If money is tight it is an option that you may want to look into . Look in the yellow pages under automobile electric re -builders or something to that effect . Also ASK about WARRANTY on their work . Good Luck

[muff34]

Originally Posted by messy

thanks for the info i was really worried about boosting it

just make sure that the booster cables are hooked up correctly

[messy]

update ....ok i went to crappy tire and the battery read 2 and when i brought home the new one n hooked it up and it started fine ...i then unhooked the pos and the car didnt stall ..i hooked up a amp to read the voltage and it was over 14 but i could smell the alt and it smelt burnt ....im now told to take to a shop and have them check out my charging center

[movin2stereo]

Do not do the disconnect battery terminal method to see if the alternator works.This is bad for your alternator!Just check the voltage with a multi-meter,like you did.14 volts is O.K..